solve
Americanverb (used with object)
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solves,
present (3rd person singular)
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solved,
past participle, past
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solving
present participle
verb
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to find the explanation for or solution to (a mystery, problem, etc)
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maths
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to work out the answer to (a problem)
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to obtain the roots of (an equation)
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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solvesimple
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solvessimple
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have solvedperfect
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has solvedperfect
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am solvingprogressive
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are solvingprogressive
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is solvingprogressive
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have been solvingperfect progressive
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has been solvingperfect progressive
Past
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solvedsimple
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had solvedperfect
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was solvingprogressive
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were solvingprogressive
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had been solvingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of solve
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English solven, from Latin solvere “to loosen, free, release”
Explanation
To solve something is to find a solution, like figuring out the answer to a complex riddle. The verb solve is often used in mathematics, and it means to answer a math problem. You can solve other, non-mathematical problems too — like the question of what to wear when you've run out of clean clothes (your sibling's clothes!). The word solve originally came from the Latin solvere, which meant "to loosen or untie." If you think of any kind of complex problem as a knot, then the original definition of solve still makes sense!
Vocabulary lists containing solve
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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"Kids Are Inventors, Too"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday said "no stone will be left unturned" to solve the killings, acknowledging "these incidents are causing fear and uncertainty in our communities, and especially among women".
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
Unified would benefit mightily from such funds — to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, but that infusion would not solve the district’s financial problems or remedy the enrollment decline.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
He cares tremendously about humanity and understands that an insolvent U.S. can’t solve our problems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Later, in a pre-recorded skit, Hargitay and her costars from Law & Order SVU tried to solve the mystery of whether Taylor Swift would appear at the Emmys.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
And even with so many mysteries left to solve, just knowing that her parents were alive, somewhere, thinking of her, made Penelope feel more settled than even the most soothing cup of tea ever could.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Watch whether gold behaves as though that rate increase solves anything.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
The dishwasher camera tailors washes for optimal energy efficiency and finally solves the mystery of what goes on inside there during the cycle.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
Among potential solves are the president moving his funds into a blind trust.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
"It solves a lot of problems, even if it is just a simple idea like sticking a few logs into a stream," Gregory Kumar added.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
“Why medicine? It’s something...something that cures an illness or...or solves a problem, maybe, but what problem?”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
OpenAI agents recently solved parts of the Navier-Stokes problem, which has puzzled mathematicians for almost a century.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
By applying information theory, the team developed a strategy that solved 99% of Wordle puzzles in simulations.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
Days later, seeing online rumors that a competitor had solved Millennium problems, OpenAI turned the system loose on all six that remain open.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
The ChatGPT-maker said on Tuesday, external that by focusing a group of roughly 10,000 AI agents, or AI bots that undertake tasks somewhat autonomously, it solved a notoriously difficult maths problem in just 88 hours.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Only a few years before, a British murder case had been solved on the basis of nothing but fingerprints.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
“Democracy is supposed to be about solving our disagreements peacefully,” he said.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Not all lawmakers seem serious about solving this crisis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
The Smith hat was first celebrated for solving a question about how shapes can cover a surface.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
Taco Bell and the federal government were, of course, solving very different problems.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
It makes me think that they’re working on solving these problems.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
